Retrofit technologies for emission control in heavy-duty and other vehicle segments 

About the event

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), under the guidance of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Government of Nepal, is organising a consultation and technology demonstration workshop to bring together technology innovators, policy planners, transporters, aggregators, and financing institutions to explore the retrofit technology landscape and aims to catalyse uptake across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.

The consultation and demonstration workshop is being supported by ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), funded by United Kingdom International Development through its flagship Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) initiative.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this consultation workshop are to: 

• Demonstrate the spectrum of available retrofit emission control technologies applicable to heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), light-duty vehicles (LDVs), three-wheelers and two-wheelers through live exhibitions/innovator presentations
• Build understanding among policy planners, transport operators, and regulators of the technical, economic, and environmental case for retrofit solutions as an intermediate step toward Euro VI transition
• Facilitate dialogue among innovators, financiers, aggregators, and government stakeholders to identify enabling conditions and barriers to technology adoption
• Explore regional opportunities for technology transfer, harmonisation of standards, and collaborative procurement across Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh
• Develop actionable recommendations and identify next steps toward establishing a regional retrofit programme under ICIMOD’s broader clean air mandate

 

Expected outcomes

This consultation workshop aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Enhanced understanding among policymakers, transport stakeholders, and industry actors on the role and potential of retrofit emission control technologies in reducing vehicle emissions
• Increased awareness of available retrofit solutions for heavy-duty vehicles, light-duty vehicles, three-wheelers, and two-wheelers through technology demonstrations and innovator presentations
• Identification of key technical, regulatory, financial, and operational barriers affecting the adoption and scaling of retrofit technologies in the HKH region
• Strengthened collaboration among government agencies, technology providers, transport operators, financiers, and development partners to support clean transport transitions
• Exploration of potential financing approaches, including green finance, concessional funding, leasing models, and results-based financing mechanisms to enable technology deployment.
• Discussion on opportunities for regional cooperation, technology transfer, and harmonisation of standards among Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
• Development of actionable recommendations and potential pathways for establishing a regional retrofit emission reduction programme under ICIMOD’s clean air initiatives.
• Identification of follow-up actions and collaboration opportunities to accelerate adoption of emission reduction solutions for in-use vehicles

 

Background

Air pollution is one of the most pressing public health and environmental challenges facing cities across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Among urban centres in South Asia, Kathmandu Valley, Thimphu, Greater Dhaka Area, Lahore stands as a particularly acute case – a densely populated, urban agglomerations whose geography traps pollutants and amplifies the impact of vehicular and industrial emissions on their millions of inhabitants. With air pollution levels consistently 4–5 times above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the health, economic, and environmental costs are enormous.

The transport sector is the dominant source of harmful emissions in these cities. Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), including trucks, buses, and large goods carriers, light duty carriers and three wheelers contribute disproportionately to PM2.5 and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, despite HDVs constituting a smaller share of registered vehicles. Research has found that over 35% of diesel vehicles observed in the Kathmandu Valley were visibly emitting black smoke, with buses and large trucks accounting for the majority of these ‘super emitters’. Addressing this segment is therefore a priority for any effective air quality management strategy.

The transition to Euro VI vehicle emission standards and to represents a long-term goal that would dramatically reduce tailpipe pollutants. Transition to EV, particularly in HDV segment is event distant possibility globally due to very high initial capital cost and lack of charging infrastructure. However, the complete fleet replacement required for this transition demands enormous capital investment and is unlikely to occur rapidly in low- and middle-income economies like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In this context, retrofit emission control technologies for existing in-use vehicles offer a pragmatic, cost-effective, and immediate bridge solution, extending the productive life of vehicles while significantly reducing their environmental footprint.